Essential Oils To Repel Ants | Tips and Tricks
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Ants can be quite annoying and easily get into your house! Try 5 tried and true tips and homemade ant repellent spray to get rid of ants naturally.
In addition, we share essential oils for ants, plus other natural solutions that can help keep those pesky little insects out of your home.
Every year we will inevitably have an ant colony move into our kitchen. Now, there was a time we would pick up ant repellent from the local general store.
Yes, it did get rid of the problem, but now, with kids crawling around, we wanted something we could spray in our home without worrying about any potentially toxic ingredients.
As soon as we had mobile toddlers and babies on the loose, we knew we would want a different solution.
Thankfully, using essential oils to repel ants naturally is quite simple, and you only need a few ingredients to do so.
Homemade Essential Oil Ant Spray
This ant spray is made with just essential oils and water, making it a simple and natural alternative to commercial ant sprays. It has worked well at keeping ants out of our house and may help keep your space bug-free too!
With the strong aroma essential oils give off, it is no wonder that they work so well at repelling those pesky insects. Essential oils can be used to get rid of ants, ticks, mosquitos, moths, spiders, and even mice. Ants rely on their noses to get them to their food source and nest, so putting anything with a strong aroma in the way can deter them.
We use essential oils during the summer months to make a variety of pest-repellent sprays, such as our natural wasp spray, homemade fly spray, and this simple ant spray.
Ant repellent spray is one we reach for very often. We like to keep the windows, doorframes, and the basement sprayed regularly to prevent an ant problem.
What Goes Into This Recipe
- Peppermint essential oil: Peppermint oil is our go-to oil for for repelling pests. In fact, we use it in our mouse repellent, homemade bug spray for plants, and all-natural bug and tick repellent. Ants hate the smell of peppermint, and it can quickly deter them from coming into your home.
- Clove essential oil: Clove essential oil will kill ants when it is sprayed directly on them. Like peppermint, it has a strong scent and can deter ants from entering your home too!
- Citrus essential oil: You can use grapefruit, lemon, or wild orange oil. Most citrus oils contain D-Limonene, which is an effective ant killer when the oils are sprayed directly on the ants.
- 4-ounce glass spray bottle
- Water
How to Make Natural Ant Repellent
Step 1. Gather your ingredients and supplies. You’ll need essential oils, water, a spray bottle, and a small funnel.
Step 2. Add the essential oils to the spray bottle.
Step 3. Fill the rest of the bottle with water and secure the lid.
Step 4. Shake well before each use and spray around door frames, baseboards, windows, or wherever you see ants in your home.
Expert Tips
- Spray the homemade ant repellent as often as needed. Homemade insect repellent is not a one-and-done solution. It’s best to continually spray to prevent an ant problem, rather than responding to an existing problem.
- Keep your home free of crumbs, spills, and other food sources. These will attract ants and keep them coming back. If you notice a trail of ants leading to a cupboard or cabinet, check the area for spilled food that may be attracting them.
- Feel free to mix and match ant-repellent remedies. Some of these ant deterrents may work better in different areas of your house, so utilize all of the resources you have to keep your home ant-free.
5 Methods to Rid Your Home of Ants
If you have an ant problem in your home, there are a number of natural remedies that can help to kill and repel them. Our go-to remedy for an ant problem is the above ant spray, but you can also try one of these simple solutions!
Simply removing the food source could be the only thing needed to get the ants back out of the house. In any case, it’s an important first step. Before beginning, thoroughly clean your home, picking up any food or snacks that may have spilled and are attracting the ants.
1. Vinegar
Vinegar is a great natural and cheap product to use to repel ants naturally from your home.
A simple, homemade all-purpose spray with vinegar can help keep ants away before they even become a problem.
To make a quick spray for ants, combine equal parts of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray the area of concern and wipe it up with a cloth.
2. Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring, soft, sedimentary rock that is crumbled into a fine white-colored powder. It is frequently used by gardeners and pet owners for natural pest control.
It can be used to repel and kill ants by absorbing into their exoskeletons and drying them out. To use diatomaceous earth, sprinkle the powder on the ants and around the area where they are getting into the house.
Be sure to wear gloves when handling it as it can cause skin sensitivity.
3. Lemon Juice
Like vinegar, lemon juice’s strong smell can naturally repel ants.
Mix a 50/50 solution of water and lemon juice and spray it anywhere you see the ants in your home.
Adding a few drops of essential oils to the mixture can make this homemade ant repellent even stronger and more effective. We have found that adding a few drops of peppermint oil works amazingly well in our home.
4. Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are another way you can repel ants naturally. No need to waste any freshly ground coffee either; used grounds work just fine.
Place a pile of coffee grounds onto a piece of paper, card, or coffee filter near the ants to keep them away.
To give this method an extra boost, add 3-5 drops of peppermint essential oil to the coffee grounds.
5. Herbs
There are a number of herbs that work great to repel ants naturally. We even plant herbs around our garden to keep the pesky bugs off of our vegetable plants.
Use any of the herbs listed below and sprinkle them along the walls, corners of rooms, and near door frames or around any area they might be getting into the home.
- Cinnamon
- Clove
- Black pepper
- Pink pepper
- Cayenne
- Garlic
- Lavender
- Rosemary
- Peppermint
- Thyme
Recipe FAQs
How to get rid of ants in the kitchen?First, find where the ants are getting in and what they are coming in after. Sometimes a good sweep and mopping on the floor with a little vinegar will do the trick.
After a good clean, do one of the above options to keep the ants out for good!
Pure baking soda can be used to repel ants from your home and may also kill them. Sprinkle pure baking soda around the door frames and windows to deter them.
How to get rid of sugar ants?Sugar ant is a term used to describe any ant that’s attracted to sweet treats.
Eliminate the appeal by keeping trash cans empty, floors swept, and dishes clean.
Then, follow the recipe card below to keep sugar ants out of your home.
Related Content
- DIY Spider Repellent
- How to Keep Wasps Away for Good
- Essential Oils to Get Rid of Mice
- Homemade Fly Spray
If you tried this Homemade Ant Spray or any other tutorial on our website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
5 from 9 votesHomemade Ant Spray
By the studio Ascher Prep: 2 minutes minsActive: 2 minutes minsTotal: 4 minutes mins Yield: 1 Spray Bottle
SaveSaved Pin Print Get rid of ants once and for all using natural, eco-friendly ingredients. Equipment
- 4 oz glass spray bottle
Ingredients
- 5 drops of peppermint essential oil
- 5 drops of clove essential oil
- 5 drops of lemon essential oil
- Tap water
Instructions
- Add the oils to the spray bottle and top off with water.
- Secure lid and shake well.
- Spray along door frames, baseboards, and window sills.
Notes
- Spray anywhere ants are present, as often as needed.
- See the post above for more ideas on how to repel ants naturally.
